Double Passage: The Lives of Caribbean Migrants Abroad and Back Home

by George Gmelch

Overview

Double Passage presents, in their own words, the lives and experiences of thirteen men and women from the island of Barbados who emigrated to North America and Britain and then years later returned home. They tell of their decisions to leave the familiarity and security of home for an uncertain future in cities of the industrial world; they explain what it is like to be black and immigrant in the predominantly white societies they settled in; and they reveal their struggles to find work and decent housing, to develop new relationships, and to save enough money to be able to return home and assume the affluent lifestyle expected of returnees. Double Passage is an extraordinary book that is able both to inform and to entertain.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780472064786
Publisher:	University of Michigan Press
Publication date:	01/01/1992
Pages:	354
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Editorial Reviews

Based mainly on oral histories of 13 Barbadians who migrated to Britain and North America, this book argues cogently that the experiences of these migrants and the forces influencing them are more diverse than most studies assume. Gmelch ( The Irish Tinkers: Urbanization of an Itinerant People ) writes smoothly, first explaining the history and culture of Barbados, then analyzing patterns of West Indian migration. Clearly a sensitive interviewer, Gmelch has elicited insightful stories: one migrant to England found Africans more prejudiced than whites; another returned with a newfound sense of her black identity, and a student in Canada made a lifelong friend of a classmate. Particularly interesting are the thoughts of leading Barbadian journalist John Wickham, who returned to decry his country's ``rampant nationalism,'' and of calypso musician The Mighty Gabby, who gained his political education in Manhattan's garment district and returned home a protest singer. Gmelch concludes by exploring trends in his subjects' experiences; unlike most social scientists, he concludes that return migrants do contribute new ideas to their home society. Photos not seen by PW. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

These oral histories of 13 Barbadians who emigrated to England and the United States and later returned home make for charming and interesting reading. Comparing the Barbados of their childhood with the one they found on their return, the interviewees also contrast life there with life in their adopted countries. Gmelch (anthropology, Union Coll.) places the narratives in a historical context and summarizes what all the emigrants had in common. A seven-page bibliography, several maps, and photos of each of the narrators round out this focused and informative book. Recommended for cultural anthropology, Caribbean history, and African diaspora collections and for public libraries where there is a large population of Caribbean immigrants.-- Anita L. Cole, Miami-Dade P.L. System, Fla.

Library Journal